Page 101 of Cautious Love

He groans, grabbing my thigh, exposed by the slit in my dress, pulling me tighter.

Then, all in one motion, Ledger untangles himself from me and stoops down, throwing me over his shoulder.

I shriek in surprise, and his one hand squeezes my thigh as he steps through the door and closes it behind him.

He heads straight down the hall to his room.

Ledger kicks the door closed, sets me on my feet, and spins us around so my back is against the door. I gasp and he claims it.

Our teeth click as his tongue seeks mine, and my heart beats so fast blood rushes in my ears. He presses me against the wood with his strong body, stooping down sightly as he trails his lips over my collarbone, while his hands slide under the hem of my dress, gliding up my thighs to my hips.

I sigh, pulling the string to release the back, and drag my fingers through his hair as he dips his nose into my cleavage and breathes me in. He groans and continues pulling my dress up.

He stops short of my bra and looks me in the eye. “Shy, are you sure?”

I know it doesn’t make sense too many, but it makes sense to me, and it only has to make sense to him too. I have real feelings for him, and they’ve only gotten deeper, more profound, more earth-shattering.

I’ve learned my lessons. I’m not diving in headfirst.

Ledger is a toes-first kind of guy, and that’s okay with me. In fact, I think it’s better, and my plan still stands. I’m not attaching myself to a man again without thought. But this time I’m more intentional, and this time it’s with a man who has more intention in his pinky than anyone I know — and I already married him.

“Yes, I’m sure,” I whisper.

He kisses my cheek and pulls my dress off the rest of the way, carefully setting it on the dresser next to us. He grabs my wrists and lifts my arms above my head before dragging his knuckles down my arms, over my ribs, stopping at my waist.

I drop my arms around his neck and he stoops down to kiss me again. We taste and savor every inch of each other until I’m so weak in the knees he has to hold me up.

He lifts me and walks us to the bed. My stomach flips and I gasp as we fall into the soft comforter.

My trembling hands push through his hair while he stares at me as if he’s waiting for answers I’ve already given him.

“I’ll take care of you, Shy. I promise,” he rasps.

My throat tightens, and he kisses me before trailing his mouth down my neck again, stopping at my chest, resting his mouth over my heart, and my eyes burn. I blink rapidly, trying to push them away.

I reach for his shirt, and he sits up to let me untuck it. Then freezes, wiping my tear.

“What’s all this?” he asks.

I shake my head and continue working the buttons on his shirt until it falls open.

“Tell me,” he commands.

I look up at him and blink away the burn. “I’m okay, please,” I rasp.

He leans back slightly. “Not if I’m making you cry,” he says.

I take a shaky inhale and say, “You’re such a good man. I’m a little overwhelmed is all.”

He blinks and grabs my hand, resting it over his chest. “I’ve chased bad guys, I’ve run from angry bulls, and I’ve been in firefights. But none of them have made my heart race the way you do.”

I inhale sharply, wondering how I got here, how I got so lucky.

“Say the word and we’ll stop,” he rasps.

I take the edges of his shirt, pushing them off. “If you think the wordstopis going to come out of my mouth, then you don’t know me very well.”

He chuckles and launches himself at me. The rest of his clothes disappear, and mine follow until all that’s left is skin separating our beating hearts.